The Queen sealed her heart and locked up her love, and the Emperor was trapped in the crematorium

When Xie Yaoqing and his party descended from Jiu'an Mountain, the sun had already set and it was already afternoon.

Jiuan Mountain is rugged and extremely steep, so carriages cannot go up there at all. The only option is to walk up and down the mountain.

But this was not a difficult task for Xie Yaoqing. She was not the kind of delicate and weak lady who stayed in her boudoir all day long. When she was a child, she also learned martial arts with others, so she would not be exhausted after walking a few steps.

On the way down the mountain, we met another group of people.

The leader was a handsome young man with a graceful demeanor and a clear temperament, exuding a strong scholarly atmosphere. He was the first to bow to Xie Yaoqing and others, and said, "Marquis, eldest son, third son... fourth daughter."

"Brother Gu, when did you return to Beijing?" Xie Yichen's tone sounded a little excited, and it was obvious that he had known this young man for a long time.

"I just returned to Beijing to report on my work. I arrived in the capital five days ago." Gu Qingjian had a faint smile on his face.

Xie Yaoqing also recognized the young man at this time. After all, they had known each other since childhood. Even though Gu Qingjian had changed a little compared to the past, he was definitely not to the point of being unrecognizable.

Since they met by chance, they went down the mountain together.

"How has the fourth young lady been doing these years?" Gu Qingjian asked first.

Xie Yaoqing nodded slightly, indicating that everything was fine.

After hearing this answer, Gu Qingjian's eyes dimmed slightly and his fingers clenched tightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

Due to the differences between men and women, Xie Yaoqing and Gu Qingjian never spoke to each other again after this brief greeting.

After going down the mountain, they each took a carriage back to the capital.

The next day, Xie Yichen went out with a few jugs of wine to find Gu Qingjian, and they drank and reminisced about the past.

After staying in the Marquis' Mansion for five days, on the morning of the sixth day, Xie Yaoqing was about to return to the palace.

Parting is always sad. Before leaving, Xie Yaoqing tried her best to hold back the tears that were about to burst out, and forced a smile to say goodbye to her relatives.

The carriage moved forward slowly, the wheels making a creaking sound, and gradually disappeared in the distance.

Xie Yichen stared at the carriage that was moving further and further away, his brows furrowed, his heart full of worry.

After returning to the inner courtyard, Xie Yichen said to Xie Yiming: "Brother, do you think my sister seems to be worried when she comes back this time? My sister is in the palace, and Concubine Qi is both the emperor's cousin and the niece of the empress dowager. With such an identity and background, how can she be a person who keeps to her duty? Maybe my sister has suffered a lot of grievances in the palace."

"No, the Imperial Palace is the most noble place in the world, but my little sister is so unhappy. If that's the case, I'd rather not stay in the Imperial Palace and divorce her. Can't our huge mansion support my little sister?"

Xie Yichen became more and more excited as he spoke, and he stood up suddenly, as if he was ready to rush out of the room and bring the person back at any time.

Seeing his brother being so impulsive, Xie Yiming quickly scolded him: "Third brother, stop. How can you act so rashly when the matter is not yet clear? This kind of impulsiveness will not only fail to solve the problem, but will bring more trouble."

Although the Xie family is a famous and prestigious family, the man my younger sister married was not an ordinary noble, but the current emperor. It's easy to say, but how can a royal family get divorced just by saying so?

"Then what should we do? Are we just going to sit back and watch? We are close brothers and sisters." Xie Yichen asked unwillingly.

He understood the truth, but he felt sorry for his sister. Among all the people in the Xie family, only his younger sister's marriage was not satisfactory.

In the eyes of the Xie family, people from the royal family have never been good matches. They are all unfeeling and fickle. If it weren't for the fact that the emperor's order was hard to disobey, and the emperor, who was the fifth prince at the time, really wanted to marry her, how could the daughter of their mansion marry into the deep palace? Now she has to watch her husband take concubines one after another.

"If only nothing had happened to the Gu family back then, Brother Gu..." Xie Yichen muttered in a low voice, but under Xie Yiming's gaze, his voice became smaller and smaller until it disappeared.

"These are all things of the past, don't mention them again. Third brother, you should be more careful with your words and can't always speak without restraint. Otherwise, you will get into trouble sooner or later. You must know that trouble comes from the mouth." Xie Yiming said seriously.

Xie Yichen laughed and said, "I know, big brother. This is in front of you. If it was in front of dad, I wouldn't dare to be presumptuous, or I would have to be punished by the family law again."

From the word "again", we can infer that Xie Yichen had experienced the family rules of the Marquis' Mansion many times in the past.

Xie Yiming shook his head helplessly, as if he had no way to deal with this overly lively brother.

……

After returning to the palace, Xie Yaoqing learned that the Queen Mother intended to create opportunities for Concubine Qi and Xiao Chengxu to improve their relationship, and a sneer appeared on the corner of her mouth.

How impatient he is, Xie Yaoqing thought to himself.

But it was also reasonable. Indeed, there were only a few days in a year when he would leave the palace. If he didn't seize this opportunity, when would he?

As soon as Xie Yaoqing returned to the palace, Feng An immediately reported to Xiao Chengxu.

Xiao Chengxu's originally cold expression instantly softened a lot.

"Move all these memorials to Kunning Palace," he ordered.

Today's government affairs had not yet been dealt with, but Xiao Chengxu could not hold back his desire to see Xie Yaoqing. So he simply ordered the palace servants to transfer the memorials to Kunning Palace, so that he would not neglect government affairs.

Xie Yaoqing frowned slightly at Xiao Chengxu's actions, but did not say much. The entire palace belonged to Xiao Chengxu, and he could be wherever he wanted, as he pleased. Although Kunning Palace was her residence, it was also Xiao Chengxu's palace.

Xiao Chengxu originally wanted to ask Xie Yaoqing to grind and brew tea for him so that he could feel the beautiful atmosphere of having a beautiful woman by his side.

But Xie Yaoqing did not follow his wishes.

"My arm hurts recently and I can't use it. Your Majesty, please ask other palace maids to serve me."

When Xiao Chengxu heard this, he immediately became nervous and said with concern, "Then quickly call Doctor Zhu to take a look."

Xie Yaoqing pretended to be nonchalant and asked casually, "Is Doctor Zhu's illness healed? Has he returned to the Imperial Hospital to take up his duties?"

Since Xie Yaoqing was reborn, the first doctor to treat her was Doctor Qi, and Doctor Zhu happened to be on leave at that time. After his leave, he only went to Kunning Palace to check Xie Yaoqing's pulse once, and soon after, he fell ill and has been recuperating at home ever since.

Xiao Chengxu nodded and replied, "I came back the day before yesterday."

Xie Yaoqing shook her head gently and said softly, "Don't bother me. It's just some minor ailments. I'll let Honeysuckle massage them and they'll be much better. Doctor Zhu is a skilled doctor. My mother hasn't been in good health in the past two years. Why don't we let Doctor Zhu go and serve her? It'll be a token of filial piety from the emperor and me."

In Xie Yaoqing's opinion, Doctor Zhu was always a potential hidden danger. Although the pregnancy-preserving medicine he prescribed had been replaced, as a doctor, he would find something abnormal once he took her pulse. If he leaked something, it would ruin her happiness.

Xiao Chengxu did not agree immediately. He showed a hint of hesitation on his face and said, "But Doctor Zhu..."

Xie Yaoqing said in a gentle voice: "The medical skills of the imperial physician Qi are also very good. He has been in charge of my medical treatment for the past two months. I feel much better now."